PPA Tour Recap: Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher Claim Gold in Austin
The Professional Pickleball Association made its way to Austin, Texas for the Veolia Austin Open, held at the Elevation Athletic Club. The event saw some surprising results, with the #1 team of Waters & Parenteau suffering their first career loss together while Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher claimed gold.
The tournament, which is a 1,000 point-level event, featured some of the biggest names in Pickleball, including Ben Johns, Federiko Staksrud, and Catherine Parenteau. The weather played a significant role in the event, causing matches to be rescheduled and even some finals to be postponed until Monday.
In the Men’s Pro Singles division, Ben Johns emerged victorious, defeating Federiko Staksrud in the final. In the Women’s Pro Singles division, Judit Castillo claimed her first PPA Singles gold after #1 ranked Anna Leigh Waters withdrew from the event.
In the Mixed Pro Doubles division, Anna Bright and Andrei Daescu handed Waters & Johns a rare loss on their way to claiming the gold. In the Men’s Pro Doubles, Daescu and Matt Wright dominated the competition to secure the gold medal. In the Women’s Pro Doubles, Bright and Rohrabacher defeated Waters and Parenteau to claim the gold.
Overall, the Veolia Austin Open provided some unexpected outcomes and thrilling matches for Pickleball fans. The PPA tour will continue in Cary, North Carolina on April 7th for another exciting event.
